Vaccine misinformation is ‘unhelpful’ as public health director urges over-50s to get their dose when offered
VACCINE misinformation has been branded ‘unhelpful’ by Portsmouth’s public health director.
Helen Atkinson, based at Portsmouth City Council, gave the warning as she urged all over-50s offered the Covid-19 jab to take up the opportunity.
Figures released on Thursday by NHS England showed 89.8 per cent of that age group had received at least one dose in Portsmouth. Fareham, Gosport and Havant have seen more than 90 per cent take up.
Ms Atkinson said: ‘Unhelpfully, there has been some misinformation spreading about the vaccine, so I would encourage people to make sure that what they're reading or hearing comes from trusted sources like the NHS and to challenge others on where their information is coming from.’
A senior GP told The News on Thursday that decisions in Europe over the AstraZeneca vaccine had seen a small but noticeable increase in people not attending for jabs. That has since reduced.
Ms Atkinson said: ‘Vaccination offers us the best protection from Covid-19 and is our way out of the pandemic.
‘The vaccines are safe and effective and are being offered to people at higher risk first. Over 80,000 Portsmouth residents have already had theirs, which is great news.
‘When you're invited to have your vaccine please take up the offer and encourage your loved ones to do the same.
‘Those in groups 1-9, which includes people aged 50 and over, carers and those with certain health conditions, are being urged to come forward by the end of March so that the programme has reached those who are most vulnerable. If you haven't booked yours yet the time to act is now.’
On Sunday culture secretary Oliver Dowden insisted people will be able to get the second dose required within 12 weeks.
He said ‘we're confident we will be able to deliver it’.
Mr Dowden also sought to reassure that vaccine passports will not be introduced on a ‘permanent basis’.
He told The Andrew Marr Show on the BBC: ‘Of course we would never look to do this on a permanent basis, it’s just whether it might be a tool in the short-term.’
Asked if England was leaving its final lockdown, he said: ‘My whole experience of the past year, and I think everyone that’s watching’s experience of the past year, is you can’t rule things out.
‘But we have every confidence we won’t have to have another lockdown because we’ve done this and it’s the last thing in the world we would want to do.’
The UK is expecting to receive its first shipment of a new coronavirus vaccine next month, Mr Dowden confirmed.
He expressed confidence that the first Moderna jabs are still on course to arrive in April, in what would be a relief for the overall vaccine rollout programme.
It comes as coronavirus infections in care home residents fell by 62 per cent from five weeks after they received their first vaccine dose, governmentfunded research has found.